The Jim Tressel Appreciation Blog
- By Michael Burvick
- Published 10/9/2007
Michael Burvick
Known amongst friends and colleagues as "mike-burv", "burvito" & of course "mikeywhispers", Mr. Burvick honed his argumentative craft and sharp wit, in the murky dorms (and creepy "free expression" tunnels) of NCSU. After several bloody and entertaining debates with Blickees.com co-founder Pat Williams, he realized that their powers combined could usher in a new era in online journalism and seal the fate of mankind for future generations to come.
College football has seen its fair share of innovation. From the old Notre Dame "Box" formation ran by The Four Horsemen, to the Wishbone formation ran by Texas in the 70's, to Houston's Run and Shoot, to Florida's "Fun N Gun. Now of course the sexy formation to run is the Spread offense popularized by Urban Meyer at both Bowling Green and Utah, and now at Florida. It's kinda hard to hate on the spread offense, because it can give an average team the proverbial "snowball's chance in hades" to slay Goliath with just one stone (see: Michigan vs. App. State). Also perennial ACC doormat Wake Forest shocked the football world last year by winning the conference with help from, you guessed it......the spread offense!!
With all that said, I figured I'd show some love to a coach who consistently gets it done by running classic halfback lead plays and good ol' playaction passes to the TE out of the I-formation. His name ladies and gentlemen, is Jim Tressel. Dude really doesn't get the credit he deserves. He's won national championships on both the Div 1-A & 1-AA level, he consistently wins the only game that matters (vs. Michigan), and aside from Maurice Clarett, he runs a fairly clean program free from negative headlines and constant scandal. And amidst all the chaos that has taken place in the first half of the '07 season, we find Tressel's Buckeyes quietly remaining undefeated. Some may argue its a testament to good coaching, while others will scream its due to playing in a weak Big Ten conference. Either way, the final result is all that matters and the fact remains, the Buckeyes are still undefeated. (I still think Michigan will run the tables and win the Big Ten though)
I know some will try and throw salt in the game by bringing up last year's blowout vs. Florida (spread offense) in the national title game, but really, aside from that game I can't recall another Tressel coach team being outplayed that badly. Plus he beat perhaps the best team to ever lose a national title game when the Buckeyes upset the 'Canes in '03. So in closing, No, I'm not a Buckeyes fan, but I just felt it was necessary to show some love to a coach that isn't fazed by all the fads that have become a part of college football. Urban and Pete will always run "sexier" programs, but you can't overlook what my boy Jim is doing in Columbus.
With all that said, I figured I'd show some love to a coach who consistently gets it done by running classic halfback lead plays and good ol' playaction passes to the TE out of the I-formation. His name ladies and gentlemen, is Jim Tressel. Dude really doesn't get the credit he deserves. He's won national championships on both the Div 1-A & 1-AA level, he consistently wins the only game that matters (vs. Michigan), and aside from Maurice Clarett, he runs a fairly clean program free from negative headlines and constant scandal. And amidst all the chaos that has taken place in the first half of the '07 season, we find Tressel's Buckeyes quietly remaining undefeated. Some may argue its a testament to good coaching, while others will scream its due to playing in a weak Big Ten conference. Either way, the final result is all that matters and the fact remains, the Buckeyes are still undefeated. (I still think Michigan will run the tables and win the Big Ten though)
I know some will try and throw salt in the game by bringing up last year's blowout vs. Florida (spread offense) in the national title game, but really, aside from that game I can't recall another Tressel coach team being outplayed that badly. Plus he beat perhaps the best team to ever lose a national title game when the Buckeyes upset the 'Canes in '03. So in closing, No, I'm not a Buckeyes fan, but I just felt it was necessary to show some love to a coach that isn't fazed by all the fads that have become a part of college football. Urban and Pete will always run "sexier" programs, but you can't overlook what my boy Jim is doing in Columbus.